Maintaining A Balanced Diet While Eating Gluten
In order to maximize the health and nutritional benefits of going gluten-free, you should adopt a diet filled with a variety of naturally gluten-free foods such as fruits, vegetables and lean proteins, as well as gluten-free grains. U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommendations encourage everyone, including those on a gluten-free diet, to avoid overly processed foods, and keep refined sugar and saturated fat intakes to a minimum.
As with any balanced diet, portion control and moderation are extremely important for people living with celiac disease and eating gluten-free. Daily exercise is also necessary for managing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
A gluten-free diet is by no means a cure all. It can be common for some people to struggle with celiac disease symptoms even after going on a gluten-free diet. Keep in mind that it does take time for the body to heal. If you are still having symptoms over time, it is important to talk to your doctor about them. Your doctor and a registered dietitian knowledgeable of celiac disease can help you to determine if you are accidentally eating gluten or if something else may be the cause of your symptoms.
Most importantly, a gluten-free diet cannot replace a formal consultation, diagnosis or recommendation from a physician or trained healthcare professional.
Dietitians knowledgeable in celiac disease and the gluten-free diet play a critical role in the management of this autoimmune condition.
The Gluten Free Diet All You Need To Know About The Diet That Will Make You Well Again
- If you have coeliac disease you will have to avoid gluten for life.
- A gluten free diet is the only treatment for the condition.
- Gluten is found in the grains wheat, barley and rye.
- On the gluten free diet you can eat many foods including meat, fish, fruit, vegetables, rice and potatoes.
- You can also eat gluten free substitute foods and processed foods that don’t contain gluten.
- You can tell whether gluten is in a food by learning about allergen labelling – it sounds scary, but you get used to it once you know how.
If you have been medically diagnosed with coeliac disease then your immune system has been reacting to gluten and damaging your gut. To get better, you must remove gluten from your diet, which is the only treatment for coeliac disease. Gluten is found in the grains wheat, barley and rye.
You may have heard the term ‘gluten free diet’ before. This can be a bit confusing to some people because it isn’t a diet in the way that most people understand it – it’s not designed to help people lose weight. It’s just a way of eating that helps you heal your gut so you can start absorbing all the nutrients you need from your diet.
Potential Health Benefits Of The Gluten
In addition to celiac, NCGS, gluten ataxia, and wheat allergy, according to the aforementioned Gastroenterology & Hepatology study, a gluten-free diet may play a role in treating:
Eliminating gluten may improve athletic performance in some individuals, too, per the aforementioned study. Yet the diet isnt recommended for every athlete, so dont follow it before getting your doctors approval.
Read Also: Gluten-free Zesty Italian Dressing
Living A Healthy Gluten Free Life
Eating gluten-free is a lifestyle change that comes with its challenges. In order to successfully follow a gluten-free diet, it is essential to have a good understanding of the foods and ingredients that contain gluten. There is a large amount of misinformation available about what constitutes a gluten-free diet. As a result, individuals may avoid foods and ingredients unnecessarily, thus limiting the variety in their diet and resulting in nutritional deficiencies.
How Do I Eliminate Gluten And Dairy From My Diet
The first step to eliminating gluten and dairy is to educate yourself on their effects and where theyre most commonly found. Once youre aware of where gluten and dairy may be hiding in food, you can make more informed choices at the store and at the restaurant.
Stick to a whole foods diet naturally free of dairy and gluten. Dairy is naturally a gluten-free food. If you choose to purchase processed foods, be very mindful of ingredient labels and contamination warnings. Often, even if a product is gluten or dairy free, it may have been processed on the same equipment as gluten or dairy containing products. Get my clean eating food list.
When eating out at restaurants, inform your waiter that you cannot consume dairy or gluten. Restaurants may cook certain foods in butter, or prepare foods on a surface covered in flour or even put flour into foods such as omelets, to make them more presentable. You cannot always trust seemingly gluten or dairy-free dishes so make sure to ask. To avoid contamination, communicate with your server and impress the importance of your restriction upon them. Remain firmyou can even ask them their specific processes for avoiding contamination. Many restaurants will even have gluten-free and dairy-free options!
Make sure you know your alternatives for gluten and dairy. Its relatively easy now to find conforming recipes and substitutes for gluten and dairy. Here are some common swaps to get you started:
Recommended Reading: Is Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing Gluten Free
Risk Of A Nutritional Deficiency
People who have celiac disease are at risk of several nutritional deficiencies.
These include deficiencies in fiber, iron, calcium, vitamin B12, folate, zinc, vitamins A, D, E and K and more (
30 ).
If you experience constipation on a gluten-free diet, aim to eat more fiber-rich fruits and vegetables, such as broccoli, beans, lentils, Brussels sprouts and berries.
What Does A Gluten Free Diet Look Like
A gluten free diet is simply a diet made up of gluten free foods. It may sound simple when you put it like that, but the truth is that gluten is hidden in many foods where you might not expect to see it. For example, soy sauce is made with wheat and some potato chips have gluten in the seasoning. Locating gluten in some foods can be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. In order to be successful with a gluten free diet, you need to know which foods contain gluten gluten, and you need to avoid them.
So, what are the foods that are most likely to contain gluten? Here is a basic overview:
- Wheat
- Pasta
- Pizza crust
Many of the foods on the list above may seem like obvious sources of gluten. If you think so, great! It means that you already have a pretty good understanding of where gluten can be found in everyday food items. Keep in mind, however, that there is a whole other list of foods that contain hidden gluten or that may be cross-contaminated with it. Here are some of those foods:
- Breaded meat
- Beer
- Malt liquor
Now that you have an idea of which foods contain gluten or are likely to contain gluten you have a foundation of knowledge on which to build your gluten free diet. But what exactly does a healthy gluten free diet look like?
Here is a list of some of the gluten free foods that you could include in your diet:
Also Check: Gluten Free Replacement For Bread Crumbs
What Foods Are Gluten And Dairy
1. Fruits and Vegetables Virtually all fruits and vegetables are gluten and dairy-free, which allows for lots of variety in nutrients and flavors in your diet. Fresh fruits like berries, apples, bananas, peaches, citrus fruits, and more are all fair game, as are fresh vegetables like leafy greens, broccoli, asparagus, carrots, bell peppers, potatoes, and many others. If you’re purchasing frozen, pre-chopped, or canned fruits and veggies, take a different look at the food label as they might be processed in a facility that processes gluten or dairy products.
2. Whole Grains Just because you can’t have gluten or wheat doesn’t mean all grains are out of bounds. Rice, quinoa, amaranth, millet, corn, buckwheat, corn, and sorghum are all dairy and gluten-free grains. When purchasing oats, be sure to look for a gluten-free variety to ensure they haven’t been cross-contaminated with wheat during processing.
4. Beans and Legumes If you’re looking for ways to add satisfying protein, fiber, and carbs into a gluten-free and dairy-free diet, look no further than beans and legumes! Black beans, white beans, kidney beans, chickpeas, and lentils are all affordable, easily found in most grocery stores, and a great way to bulk up a plant-based meal. While all beans and legumes are inherently gluten-free and dairy-free, it’s smart to double-check the ingredients when buying canned beans to ensure no extra starches have been added.
Increased Type 2 Diabetes Risk
In a study involving a very large number of healthy men and women, research showed that when participants ate gluten, they were less likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The study showed that the more gluten was in the diet, the less the risk of diabetes. Fiber, vitamins and nutrients found in healthy foods containing gluten proved to be beneficial to the overall health of the participants.People who voluntarily switch to a gluten free diet give up foods that are important to maintaining a balanced diet – including fiber, essential vitamins and nutrients – which increases risk for adverse health events.
Read Also: Breadcrumb Substitute Gluten Free
Resources & Support From Our Gluten
Understanding Cross Contamination
Cross-contamination is one of the biggest culprits that continue to damage your stomach and body when you have celiac. Learn more about what it is, how to prevent it, and what to do if you experience symptoms from cross-contamination.
LEARN MORE
How to Modify Recipes
Modifying your existing recipes to gluten-free recipes can be a fun and challenging experience. Here we share the advice that helped us adapt our recipes so that we could enjoy our favorite meals.
LEARN MORE
Where to find ingredients that are GF
When you are first diagnosed with celiac disease it can be challenging to find ingredients and know what is and isnt gluten-free. Here we share more about where we find the ingredients and products we love and trust.
LEARN MORE
Coffee Tea Soda Fruit Drinks And Alcohol
- Unflavored coffee and plain black or green tea should be gluten-free, but flavored varieties may not bestick with those labeled “gluten-free” to be safe.
- The most popular sodas in the United States, including Coke and Pepsi, are considered gluten-free. AriZona bottled iced teas also are considered gluten-free, and the vast majority of energy drinks are considered gluten-free.
- Juice made from 100% fruit should be gluten-free, but fruit drinks made from fruit plus other ingredients may not be. Be particularly wary of green smoothies, since they can contain wheat and barley grass.
- You’ll need to buy gluten-free beer, since conventional beer contains glutensafe brands will be prominently labeled “gluten-free.”
- Wine is considered gluten-free, although you should be wary of flavored wines.
- All distilled alcohol is considered gluten-free even if it’s made from gluten grains, but some people report reacting to gluten grain-derived alcoholic beverages. If you’re one of them, stick with alcohol not derived from gluten grains, such as rum or tequila, or with gluten-free vodka .
You May Like: Chickpea Flour Publix
Foods That Are Gluten And Dairy
Transitioning to gluten and dairy-free food can feel like an intimidating leap to make but it doesn’t have to be. In fact, the majority of whole foods are naturally gluten and dairy-free, and new gluten and dairy-free food options in grocery stores are making it easier to find compliant foods than ever before. By focusing on all the foods you can still eat, learning food labels, understanding hidden ingredients, and finding gluten and dairy-free substitutes for some of your favorites, you can build a diet that suits your dietary needs without sacrificing delicious food.
Dont Buy Packaged Foods
Buying Larabars, boxes of gluten free macaroni and cheese, crackers, and snacks will quickly eat away at your budget. Make a batch of homemade larabars, granola bars, and oatflourmuffins to use as snacks and breakfast. Make double or triple batches and keep the extras in the freezer and youll have your own convenience food for later in the month.
You May Like: Jason’s Deli Gluten Free
Why Do I Need To Avoid Oats
Research by our patron Dr Robert Anderson has shown that approximately one in five people with coeliac disease react to pure, uncontaminated oats.
Since we cannot determine who the one in five is, who reacts to pure oats and we know that gut damage can occur even without symptoms the advice of both Dr Anderson and Coeliac New Zealand is that oats should not be consumed.
The only exception is if you receive a gastroscopy/biopsy before commencing eating oats, and after you have been consuming them for a time. This is currently the only test that can say whether it is safe for you to consume oats on a gluten free diet. Talk to your Dr. about whether this could be right for you.
Once you start your gluten-free diet your symptoms should gradually improve and your gut will start to heal. It can take from 6 months to five years for your gut to fully heal.
Coeliacs need strict gluten-free diet for life. Eating even small amounts of gluten can trigger your immune system and cause your symptoms to return, so adherence to a coeliac-safe gluten free diet is important for long-term health.
Recognise the common sources of gluten and what to avoid and always check food labels to ensure the food you are consuming is gluten free. The allergywell.co.nz food finder can also be a helpful guide.
Start With Fresh Produce And Meats
Many people think they simply need to drop wheat from their dietsor even just breadin order to go gluten-free. But it’s unfortunately a lot more complicated than that. As you no doubt learned from cleaning out your kitchen, gluten appears in foods ranging from soups to sauces, and it’s not always obvious from the ingredients.
There are many, many foods you can eat on the list of gluten-free foods. But by far the best way to avoid making common mistakes when first going gluten-free is to limit your diet to unprocessed foods at first. Unprocessed foods are products you find in the supermarket that don’t have ingredients lists printed on their labels for example, fresh fruits and vegetables and fresh meat, poultry, and fish are examples of unprocessed foods.
On an unprocessed food diet, you can eat:
- fresh fruit
Recommended Reading: Is Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing Gluten Free
Learn To Read Food Labels
To really expand your dietand to figure out which of your old favorites you might be able to includeyou’ll need to learn to find gluten on food labels.
In fact, you’ll probably become a bit of a detective, learning to search for the meaning of various terms you’ll find on different products. You’ll also get quite an education on the different ingredients that make up processed foods .
For example, terms that always mean “gluten” can include:
- flour
- triticum
- hordeum
- spelt
Meanwhile, terms that almost always mean “gluten” can include:
- malt
